The Letter
by Ginny the Weasley
Summary: - Set after S2E9 The Guide - A letter from Korra to her friends in Republic City stirs hidden feelings of anger and guilt. How will Korra react when she hears all about what happened while she was gone?
1. The Letter

**_I do not own Legend of Korra, which is sad because I love it and good for Mako. Because if I wrote the script, Korra would have murdered him by now…_**

**_Leave a few comments, let me know what you think and if I should continue or not…there will be at least a second chapter!_**

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_Dear Bolin,_

_I'm writing you to inform you about the current state of the Water Tribe War. Please show this letter to Asami and Mako as well._

_How have you guys been doing? I was hoping to hear some news from you when I met Tenzin and the rest, but they didn't even know about the war. Kinda funny, really. I got to tell them everything, and I like to talk, so it was okay. Still, I miss you. Driving through the night in a Sato-mobil with Asami, fighting criminals with Mako, eating noodles with Bolin...I really miss you._

_The last two weeks have been exhausting. After I left Republic City to ask the Fire Lord for help I was attacked by my dearest cousins (they have serious issues) – and a dark spirit - before I even arrived at the Fire Nation. I barely survived and woke up on a beach somewhere in the ocean, without any memories...didn't even know what the Avatar was._

_I was lucky, on the island were people who put me in a crystal cave with weird water...I met the very first Avatar there...well, I met him in my mind, but you know what I mean. It was my first _spiritual experience._ Yay. Anyways, that whole dream-like state helped my brain remembering everything. And I knew I had to go find Tenzin._

_Turns out he's never been to the Spirit world...and Jinora has an amazing talent with spirits. She led me into the Spirit world where I tried to close the gate to the South Pole. Remember? The one we just recently opened? Pretty stupid move in retrospect. I managed to close the gate, but Unalaq freed Vaatu first (he's the ultimate dark spirit...I'll tell you the whole story when we meet) and kinda bonded with him...really, opening that stupid gate was plain idiotic._

_Anyways, Unalaq is now on his way to attack my home and Tenzin, his family and I are coming to Republic City as fast as possible. We need help from the United Forces. And I need my friends. Soo, what do you say? Wanna help keeping the Water Tribes from destroying each other? _

_Take care and see you soon!_

_Love, Korra_

_Ps:_ _Mako, I am terribly sorry for the way I reacted...I should have respected your decision. It's your job and I shouldn't have expected you to lie at the President for me. I understand now. I hope we can figure this whole mess out when the war is over and things calmed down a little. I love you._

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The words seemed to swirl on the parchment. Bolin couldn't quite process what he just read. Korra made it sound like nothing had happened since she left, but she nearly died and went to the Spirit world, and fought some really evil dark spirit, and...felt guilty for the way she had treated his brother. The irony.

Korra spent her two weeks after the break up actually thinking about the whole ordeal and figuring out her own mistakes while Mako did not think about it at all. Wasn't Mako usually the thinking-guy and Korra the let's-just-do-it-without-regrets kinda girl?

Bolin was happy that Korra had decided to write him. The letter arrived on the perfect day, since Asami and Mako both came over later to discuss the latest events. Asami and Bolin had tried to find evidence for Varricks crimes but couldn't find a thing. Asami at least managed to bust Mako out of prison. The earthbender had the strong feeling that Korra was going to save the day again.

Sighing, Bolin folded the letter, put it onto the coffee table and ruffled Pabu's thick fur. "What are we gonna do, Pabu? We're the worst friends ever...not to mention Team Avatar...we really screwed up big time."

Pabu only snuggled closer to Bolins warm body. "Bolin! You home?"

The door banged open, Pabu made an offended sound and stared angrily at Mako and Asami. They held hands, smiled and seemed in a way to good mood. But they did not know about the letter yet.

"Hey guys," Bolin answered under his breath.

"Why so gloomy?" Mako launched himself onto the couch while Asami got herself a chair from the kitchen and took a seat. Bolin pointedly looked at the parchment lying in front of him.

"I got a letter. Actually, it's to all of us."

"Oh? From whom?" Asami took the letter, unfolded it and began to read. With every word, her eyes grew bigger until a regretful look crossed her face and she tossed the parchment to Mako. She did not say a word, but stared at her hands thoughtfully.

"What's with the letter and destroying moods?" Mako tried to joke, but his smile died immediately when he spotted the slightly messy handwriting he correctly identified as the current Avatar's. Bolin and Asami stared at Mako while he read the letter, both trying to figure out how he would think about the whole thing – most of all the last part.

The minutes passed and Mako had yet so say a thing, or at least blink. Asami's eyes filled with unshed tears. Her jaw clenched and she stared down at her hands again. Bolin sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair. „We're the worst Team Avatar ever. I spent the last two weeks running around in an embarrassing outfit and you two..."

He stopped his sentence there. Asami seemed to be on the verge to tears and Mako closed his eyes guiltily, then finished his brothers sentence. "Did other stuff while Korra almost died. Several times, I think."

"We're not only an awful Team Avatar," Asami's voice almost broke, but she cleared her throat and laid her eyes on the two brothers. "We're really bad friends as well," Her eyes locked with Makos. "We all should be there when they arrive. We have to help Korra fighting this war. We promised to have her back. All of us. Together." The brothers nodded.

"Okay. I guess we can talk about Varrick later. My mind's...a little distracted right now. I'll go an make some tea for all of us." Asami stood and left the room, leaving the two brothers alone.

Bolin glanced accusingly at his older brother. He'd kept his mouth shut about what he thought of Mako and his way of treating Asami and Korra. But he will not allow Mako to break Korras heart again. "Mako...I won't tell Korra about you and Asami if you end the whole thing now. She does not have to know. I mean, it shouldn't have happened, but you know..."

"Why not? Maybe Asami and I are better off together than Korra and I," Mako seemed upset.

"You love Korra."

"I love Asami as well."

"Oh, really? That's why you left her for Korra."

"Bolin, I'm...confused, okay! It's none of your business, anyways." The earthbender only snorted and rubbed his temples.

"Of course, none of my business. It's just that my brother repeatedly breaks the hearts of two girls who are, surprisingly enough, my friends. Mako, quit the shit and start acting like a man! You want to date Asami? Fine. Then tell Korra as soon as she's back. You want to date Korra? Fine. Tell Asami. Just, for once in your life, stop being indecisive!"

Mako stood up abruptly upon hearing this, crossed his arms and stared down at his little brother. Bolin did not move, he kept glaring back and held himself back from leaping at Mako's throat. Sometimes Bolin could not stand him. "Once in my life?!"

"Yeah! You're moping around about how bad you feel, how confused you are because two girls fell for you and you don't know which one you prefer?! Seriously? I have a reason to mope around! Because I met Korra, and I liked her, from the very freaking start and you...you were a jerk towards her! All the time! I was nice, funny, made her compliments, I didn't care whether she was the Avatar or not, I liked her, I fell in love with her, I asked her out and she said yes and then you came and...you kissed her!"

Mako stopped glaring and simply looked...shocked. "Bolin, Korra kissed me!"

"But you kissed her back." Both boys jumped at the feminine voice that brought them out of their argument.

Asami leaned on the doorframe, holding a cup of tea. She had a defeated look on her face. "You were never confused. You knew exactly what you wanted. The only thing you were is a coward. And we have to tell Korra about those last days. I won't be lying, Mako. We kissed, we were kinda dating. And she will have to get over it. It's happened. We can't change a thing."

Bolin did not like where this was going. They were about to hurt Korra again. He couldn't let that happen! "No! Please, don't you see? Korra has enough on her mind already, getting over her break up with Mako but still hoping that they'll figure it out, the war, her parents, the whole Avatar thing! She doesn't need to wonder whether the guy she loves and his ex are back together or not!"

"Bolin, be reasonable for a second," Asami stepped in front of the green-eyed boy and set her cup down on the table. "Do you think Korra will be happy when she hears about it after we've fought in the war and saved the world? After days spent together? Without mentioning it?"

"No."

"See. We have to tell her."

"Tell her what? Hey Korra, you know, a few days after we broke up, Asami made a move on me?" Upon hearing Mako's angry words, the girls body tensed immensely.

"And what did you do, Mako? You approved! Judging from your make-out visits!" Asami shouted at the top of her lungs, tears leaked from her beautiful eyes and her voice broke when a sob escaped her throat. She clasped her hands over her mouth, shut her eyes tightly and tried desperately to stop her tears. Bolin laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. It only made it worse. She stuttered an excuse and ran out of the flat, the door banging shut behind her.

Mako groaned and let himself fall back onto the couch. "What a mess..."

"Yeah. Asami's right, isn't she? We have to tell Korra everything. She'll find out either way. I mean, she's the Avatar after all..."

"Bolin, being the Avatar does not make her some kind of superhuman being that knows everything."

Bolin sat down next to his brother and smiled lightly. "She is a superhuman though...her eyes glow."

Mako smiled at this. Both of them stared at the cup of tea Asami left behind until it stopped steaming. They still did not know how to welcome Korra. They only felt even more guilty for promising to be there for her – and forgetting about her as soon as she left.

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**Am I the only one who kept thinking - Korra leaves Republic City, those three have not heard from her, or General Iroh, or the Fire Lord in a week (I guess Korra should have arrived by then, right?), but they don't really care? They are friends, right? Concerned for each others well being?**

**And, wtf, Mako?! I don't know, but saying "I love you" to a girl, dating her for six months and then getting over her in a week is real jerk behaviour, even for you!**

**Rant over. I need more LoK. Right. Now.**


	2. Nightly Conversations

**Again, ****_Legend of Korra_**** is not mine, nor are Korra, Bolin, Mako, Naga and Pabu. But if someone has a fire ferrett to give away, I'll take it!**

**Thanks for every ****_Follow_****!**

**_ DaniHime86:_**** I actually liked Mako in the beginning. You know, the slightly angry hot guy that turns out to be total pudding on the inside…only Mako turned out to be a jerk. No pudding in sight. And Asami…well. She's Asami. I never really considered her important… :) THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENT! It made my day!**

**Ready for chapter number two, which ended up short. Way shorter than I thought…but it's half past one here, I'm tired and waiting for the next episode…**

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One night later, Bolin woke up, drenched in sweat and panting as if he'd been running a marathon. Pabu stood in front of his bedroom door, hissing and scratching. "Pabu? What happened? Is someone out there?"

Bolin murmured and stepped slowly out of his bed. His thoughts were circling his nightmare, images of a distressed Asami, a bleeding Mako and of Korra, lying on the ground with arms and legs at a weird angle flooded his mind. He could still hear bloodcurdling screams and heartbreaking sobs, voices begging for mercy and everything seemed to be dipped in an all consuming darkness – a thumping noise just in front of the door brought Bolin out of his dark reverie, back to the real world.

Something was inside his flat. Pabu seemed worried, not angry or aggressive. A subtle knock on the door made him whine in sorrow. Bolin prepared to earthbend the hell out of the intruder, opened the door and came face to face with the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life. Her azure eyes were sparkling with happiness and there was a pretty bad slash on her right cheek that was halfway healed. "Bolin!", she exclaimed joyfully and threw herself at him, her arms circling his neck and her face pressing into his chest.

He laughed throatily and held her tight, his eyes pressed together to keep the tears from escaping. Naga still had black colour in her fur where she was painted to look like a panda bear, people on the streets knew him because of _Nuktuk - Hero of the South_, he'd spent the last two weeks caring only about himself and the fact that Mako was a jerk – while the girl in his arms, one of his closest friends and his first real crush almost died. He was pathetic...she should not be this happy to see him!

"Oh Bolin, I swear...I'm overjoyed that you didn't marry Eska. It's hard enough having her as my cousin while she lives at the other end of the world. Wouldn't want her here as well...and, of course, the betrothel necklace was a nightmare," she murmured into his shirt and then pulled away slowly to look at him.

His eyes were still closed. Pabu screeched and Korra laughed heartily. "Hey there Pabu! I missed you too...c'mere!"

She reached down to take him on her arm and stroked his red fur. "Did you and Naga take care of Bolin for me?" Pabu only nudged his head on Korra's chin and crawled up onto her back where he nestled himself around her neck.

Korra faced Bolin again, who was standing in front of her, tense and miserable. "Bolin? You alright?" Judging from her concerned tone, she knew he was not, in fact, alright.

"Korra...I'm sorry." Finally he managed to open his eyes and look at her face again. He almost choked when he saw the confused and slightly anxious expression on her face.

"_Why_ would you be sorry? I should be sorry for barging in here in the middle of the night. Which I am, by the way. But we just arrived and I missed you, so I'm excused," She grinned widely at him, but he could still see the pensive look in her eye.

"Would you like some tea?" She nodded, and Bolin led her back out to the living room area, where she flopped down onto the couch after she took Pabu back down on her arm. As soon as she sat comfortably she let Pabu nestle himself into her lap where he covered his face with his tiny paws and slept peacefully. Bolin left them for a few minutes and came back, holding two steaming cups of tea. He put them onto the coffee table and took a seat next to Korra. She was petting Pabu softly, a genuine smile lighting up her whole face.

"I already saw Naga. She was happy that I'm back, but wasn't so pleased to be woken up..." She spoke tenderly, as if she tried not to wake Pabu.

"Well, I'm happy to see you too."

Korra gave him an offended look. "Aaand you feel touchy because I woke you up?"

"No. You didn't wake me." The images took over Bolin's mind again and he tried to shake his head free from the nightmare.

"Bad dream?"

"Very bad dream...Mako was bleeding, Asami was crying and you...had a few broken limbs."

Korra snorted. "Bleeding? Crying? Thank the Spirits_ I_ only had a few broken limbs. Can't stand the other two. One produces a mess you have to clean, the other one's just plain crap."

"That cut must have bled."

"It did, and I had to clean my clothes because of it."

"How did that happen?"

Korra sighed and leant back to rest her head on the back of the couch. "Well, you know how those things work...sharp things get too close to my face, my skin doesn't approve and I end up splashing water onto my face to stop the bleeding..."

"Yeah, right…seems legit."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Do you know the Kyoshi Warriors? Some of them showed up, apparently Iroh talked to his mother about sending help and she sent them...the _great Avatar_ just stood in the wrong place at the wrong time again. I left the fort around the South Pole, one Warrior thought I was a northern girl and attacked me. Luckily she realized who I was as soon as I got into the Avatar state."

"Because of your glowing eyes?" Korra smirked, gave me a playful shove and nodded.

"Because of my eyes, exactly. How have you been? Any friendly attacks?"

"There are some girls who don't stop following me around all day, but they didn't attack me yet."

"_Yet_ being key word there." Bolin smiled and grapped his cup to take a sip.

"How's Mako doing?" He choked and spit the tea out again. Korra only watched him with a neutral expression and informed him dryly about the fact that tea was meant to be swallowed instead of being spread over the entire floor.

"He's fine, he's...he's being Mako."

"Which means what exactly in actual words?" Bolin shut his mouth, his lips forming a thin line and his eyes almost bulging out from the pressure of keeping his tongue under control. It was not his place to tell Korra about Mako and Asami.

"Bolin? You look like you're about to explode," She sighed as he kept silent and went back to stroking Pabu's fur. "What did he do that you can't tell me?"

"It's not...I shouldn't tell you about it. He should. Mako has to tell you, because I won't. I don't wanna break the news, I really hate doing such things, especially if it means hurting _you_ in the process, and Mako is an asshole, he just got over you in a week, while I keep thinking...and you are still thinking about him, caring about him and he's just being a jerk again and he...he..." Korra tensed more and more, Bolin tried to stop his mouth from moving but he couldn't. "...he went back to Asami."

There. Done. Korra's body tensed even more, her face scrunched up in agony, eyes pressed shut. Bolin angrily plucked at his hair, hating himself for hurting her again. Pabu seemed to sense Korra's distress as he slowly moved from his place on her lap and left the room.

No one spoke for the next few minutes, Bolin still fuming about his loose tongue and Korra silently debating whether to weep bitterly about Mako again or cursing him for hurting her – again. When she finally opened her crystal eyes, her sight fell on Bolin, funny, cheery Bolin, who sat next to her looking ready to kill someone. Not the way she wanted to see him. He was her last friend after all.

"Bolin?" She hated how insecure she sounded, but Bolin didn't seem to care. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with remorse. "Bolin, would you...would you hold me for a while?"

He leant back, opened his arms and Korra snuggled into his side, burying her face in his shirt, her arms fell around his waist while his held her close to his body. They fell asleep cuddled up on the couch.

A stranger might have mistaken them for lovestruck teenagers, but when Mako entered the flat the next morning, he immediately noticed Korra's tear-stained face and Bolin's angry frown. He stood still, as if struck by lightning, tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat and willed the agonizing pain in his ribcage to stop from tearing him apart.

In this very moment, Bolin woke up and gave his brother a frosty glare that put Chief Beifong to shame. Mako turned on his heels and left the apartement, wiping traiterous tears from his cheeks as his guilt caught up with him full force.

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**A little Borra fluff thrown in there…the characters might be a bit OOC, but Bolin's not only the happy-go-lucky type. I believe he's got a sense of protectiveness towards Korra, even if only slightly because he knows she can handle herself. And he looks like an awesome pillow.**

**I don't really know if I should continue this FF, so let me know what you thought about it...**


	3. Confederation

**Nope. Korra's still not mine.**

**Guys, thank you so much for every follow and favourite and comment! I hope you like this next chapter...**

**I updated the first two chapters, did some editing and stuff. Could you tell me whether it's easier to read now?**

**I'm freaking out over every follow/favourite/comment, so keep it up! I'm open for productive criticism and thankful for every single piece of advice.**

**Also, some of you mentioned the "upside down quotation marks" such as this: ****_„Are you...okay?" _****I'm Swiss, which means I usually write in German. Quotation marks are always written like that in German…I didn't really think about it being weird for other people to read it. xD**

**Anyways, thanks for pointing it out. I tried to change all of them.**

**Now I'll stop babbling and let you read.**

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_Asami should have expected this. Korra was the Avatar, the one who had to keep the balance of this world, a peacekeeper, but she was still only a girl. A girl with a broken heart._

Bolin informed her that Korra was back. The two of them went to Air Temple Island as soon as they had time. They would have taken Mako with them, but neither Bolin nor Asami were able to find him. As soon as they arrived, the airbender children had occupied Bolin to tell him everything there was to know about their journey.

The earthbender only smiled apologetically at Asami and sat down on the steps, the three children surrounding him. Since Bolin already talked to Korra, Asami deemed it the perfect moment to have a short conversation with her waterbending friend.

Her feet led her all the way to the meditation pavillon, where Korra stood. Her back was towards Asami, but she turned around in the very same moment that Asami stepped into the pavillon. There was really no reason for Asami to be shocked when she locked eyes with Korra. She should have seen it coming.

The Avatar's usually sparkling blue eyes were clouded with jealousy and hatred. Blue flames seemed to rage within her gaze. Asami shivered. This was not going to be pleasant.

The nonbender did feel guilty for throwing herself at Mako as soon as Korra was out of the picture. She had known that, if she pushed the right buttons, Mako would be like putty in her hands. It worked. And she'd broken her friend's heart by doing it.

At the same time, Asami felt anger bubbling inside her. Because Korra stole Mako from Asami first. She only took back what used to be hers. Technically, Korra had no right to be angry with her. No right at all.

Still, Korra's furious glance stung like hell. Asami swallowed and spoke up. "Korra."

"That's my name. Aren't you a smart one?" The nonbender tried to overhear the vicious tone in her friend's voice, but coupled with the way Korra looked at her, Asami could not act as if everything was alright.

"Are you…okay?"

"Oh, I'm just _peachy_." Asami lowered her gaze and kicked slightly at a non existing pebble on the floor. "Always good to know that you're just as replaceable as you thought you were," the Avatar murmured almost too low for Asami to hear.

Surprised, she looked back up at Korra, trying to understand what had led her to this sentence. What she saw in the other one's eyes took her breath away and left her achingly empty. Everything she'd felt because of this whole mess just disappeared and was replaced with heartfelt sympathy. Korra was not angry at her anymore. There was no hatred, no jealousy in her eyes. Only defeat.

"I was entranced by him from the very first second. He was an insufferable jerk, yes, but...he was weirdly fascinating. I didn't understand why. I only knew that I wanted to get to know him. Impress him...and just as I thought that I actually had a minimal chance of making him like me, you showed up. Out of nowhere. He fell for you. Faster than I was able to comprehend what was happening. And I knew why he chose you. I knew it back then and I know it right now." Asami stared at Korra with wide green eyes, captured by the way her blue irises became darker and deeper by the second.

"You are beautiful. Everything a guy like Mako could dream of and more. You're fun to spend time with, you are brave, righteous, well mannered, fierce...and you are so damn beautiful," Korra closed her eyes, a single tear slid down her cheek and Asami's heart clenched painfully. She could have been proud of the way Korra had described her. But the way she'd said it made it painful to hear. Her quivering voice was filled with envy and anguish. Her blue eyes opened again as she lowered her gaze towards Asami's feet. "You are everything I am not. You have everything I ever wanted, _are _everything I ever wanted _to be_...I never stood a chance against you…"

Asami felt bad. Her heart ached for the girl in front of her, she didn't think about Mako and who had him first – the only thing she could think about was how to cheer Korra up. The green-eyed girl took a tentative step forwards and reached out her hand to brush a strand of dark hair out of the younger girl's face.

"Yes you did," she spoke quietly. "That's why Mako and I broke up, remember? He cared more for you than he ever did for me. I guess he only liked me because of...well, because I'm pretty. And rich."

A sad smile crossed Korra's face at Asami's words. "Funny you'd say that. I was just thinking about how he only started looking at me when he realized that I was the Avatar."

Asami smiled at this. "Korra, I'm sorry for...throwing myself at him as soon as you were gone. I know that I was...a bitch. And the worst friend ever. I don't even know why I did it. I just...it hurt, you know. Seeing you with him. Hugging him, holding his hands...doing all that stuff that I used to do only weeks before. I was angry, hurt, jealous and bitter. I'm usually a person who keeps her promises. I promised to have your back, and I failed. I promised to be your friend and I failed," her voice cracked a little and she sighed. "I like you. You're a good person, loyal and true to your words. If you forgive me, I'd be happy to be your friend again."

Korra frowned, thinking about what Asami just said. "There's only one thing you have to tell me first."

"Anything."

"How did Mako end up in prison?"

"Remember the explosions at the demo? Mako suspected that the Northerns weren't responsible for that."

"I remember. We fought about that."

"The ships that were meant to bring weapons and other stuff to the Southern Water Tribe got attacked. Mako thought that the way one survivor described the explosives matched the ones he'd seen at the demo. I lost a lot money because of those attacks, so Mako and I decided to do something about it. We went behind Beifong's back, hired the Triple Threat Triad and went on a ship to see if it got attacked – and, more importantly, who the attacker was. That plan didn't work. Mako somehow summed everything up to the conclusion that Varrick stood behind all the attacks. One evening, Chief Beifong showed up and arrested him for attacking several ships. They found a box filled with evidence...it was hard to believe that Mako wasn't lying."

"He went behind Chief Beifong's back to help you?"

"Only because he wanted to catch the attacker. I didn't have any hallucinations about why he wanted to help me. He did it all to catch the bad guy and get a promotion. He's selfish like that."

"Selfish and quite the _hypocrite_! One day he's telling the President about my plan of asking Iroh for help because he's devoted to law and the next he hires a triad for help? Not really consequent."

"Well...he's always been indecisive, right?"

"Yeah. He played us like a pro. Kept both of us warm in case one would drop him." Both girls went silent after this realisation. They'd turned around during their conversation and were now staring out of the pavillon into the distance.

Korra broke the silence. "Do you believe he did that on purpose?"

"No. He's way too indecisive to decide on how to manipulate girls." Both smiled and went silent again.

From the distance, they heard a rumble followed by roaring laughter. They saw Meelo, Ikki and Jinora running away from a huge moving stone sculpture. "They are so different from each other."

Catching Korra's confused gaze, Asami explained further. "Mako and Bolin. They're opposites. Mako is indecisive, selfish and slightly shallow, grumpy...you know the story. But Bolin...he's always cheery, he knows what he wants but doesn't sacrifice everything to get it. And he helped you out when he saw you back at the arena, didn't he? Without knowing you he just stepped up and helped you. Without any expectations of getting any payback."

"Well, _I_ always thought he saw a girl and a chance of hitting on her, so he took it."

Asami laughed and nodded approvingly. "You're probably right. Still, he did it. Mako wouldn't have helped you. He would have thrown you out…" Asami looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually...thinking about it, Bolin does quite a lot for you without expecting anything."

"He's a really good friend," Korra answered way too casually.

"Yes. A really good friend who still has a huge crush on you," Asami countered, making Korra blush profusely.

"You said that."

"And I'm right."

"You know, I was about to forgive you but I guess I'll have to reconsider." Korra smiled cheekily at the dark haired girl next to her and received a gentle punch on her shoulder.

"I'm only stating the obvious, Korra. No need to take your embarrassment out on our friendship." They smiled at each other.

"_Kooorraaa_!_ Asamiiii_! Where the hell are you?!"

They laughed at Bolin's obvious need for help as they watched the three children, hanging from the stone sculpture – Bolin's head peeking out from the top. As they peacefully strolled down to help their male friend, both thought about how much better it was to be friends than rivals.

"What are we gonna do about Mako?" Korra asked, slightly annoyed.

Asami grinned widely. "We deserve better, don't you think?"

Korra linked arms with the taller girl and replied playfully: "I'm totally with you, sister!"

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**Asami seems like a good girl. She's way too good for Mako. And Korra…well. I guess one could sense a slight shipping tendency here…BORRA TIL THE END! He's way too cute, buff and immature for his own good...**

**Back to the important topics. Both girls did some stupid stuff, so I thought it would be fun if they tried to get over it and just be friends (and Mako-bashing-buddys, of course).**

**The last episode was…I don't even know. I hate Unalaq with a passion. And I guess my FF is officially ****_not_**** canon, since Korra did not manage to close the gate…Oh well. FFs are not supposed to be canon, right?**

**Enjoy your day/night, whatever it is where you are! Aaaaand…leave a comment if you liked it!**


	4. Attack and Defense

**Took longer than I thought…and I am not quite happy with this. But I already spent the last two days thinking about it and I've had enough. If I don't upload now, I'll have a writer's block and never end this FF. So, there you go!**

**Oh, right, I forgot. ****_The Legend of Korra_**** and all other stuff that does not belong to me, is not mine. Got it? Good.**

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Tenzin's family, Korra and her two friends were eating dinner when Mako showed up.

He stayed glued to the spot under the doorframe when he realized that his brother and his two ex-girlfriends were peacefully sitting at one table. "Uh…hi," he murmured, scratching his neck and fiddling with his scarf.

"Mako! Asami and I were looking for you _everywhere_!" Bolin stood up to hug his brother. When he felt Mako hugging him back he whispered in his ear. "Sorry for the glare this morning." Mako only nodded and gave him a smile. Then, he turned to look at Korra who was sitting at the table, eating as if Mako hadn't entered the room.

"Korra, could we talk? Please?" Korra tensed up and stared down at her plate with an unreadable expression. Asami gave her a concerned look and put a comforting hand on the younger one's shoulder.

"Why don't you sit down and eat with us, Mako? I'm sure Korra will be happy talking to you when her stomach is filled," Tenzin pointed at the free place next to Jinora and smiled reassuringly when both, Korra and Asami sent him death glares. Mako sat down after a moment and Bolin brought him a plate from the cupboard. The tension was obvious. None of the four teenagers talked. They ate silently and avoided any eyecontact with each other – except for Bolin. He smiled at each of his friends.

The children were talking a lot, maybe to ease the tension, and Tenzin and Pema tried to listen to everything. Korra did not eat a thing. She only sat there, staring at her plate and feeling – hurt. She thought she was over it, she made peace with Asami and had two weeks time to forget about Mako. But the very second she saw his spiky dark hair, his trademark red scarf, she felt overwhelmed with emotion. It was all a big spinning mess of positive and negative, love and hate, happiness to see him again, aching longing and restlessness to get away from him. She did not catch any of Bolin's comforting smiles. But she did feel Asami's hand taking her own. She felt the slight squeeze and, looking at Asami, she saw the very same feelings written in her green eyes. Only less intense.

As soon as Mako had finished his plate, Korra stood up and left the room. The firebender followed her out to a bench that was surrounded by trees and bushes. And had a wonderful view of the arena. In another time, this place would have been romantic. Korra sat down on one side, Mako took the other. The silence between them grew heavier by the second.

"What did you want to talk about?" Her voice was not quivering. She was thankful for that.

"About...everything, I guess…"

"Talk."

Mako glanced at Korra. She was staring at the arena but he was pretty sure she did not really _look_ at it. "I'm sorry," he said, trying hard not to sound like a crying wreck.

Korra snorted and looked at him for the first time. "For what? There's a long list of possibilities."

"For going back to Asami."

"That's all?" Korra wasn't happy with this. She wanted more. Hell, she _needed_ more. And she deserved more.

"And...yelling at you. Breaking up with you. Hurting you. I'm sorry for all the stupid stuff I did." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You're sorry for breaking up with me? What does that mean? You want me back? Or are you just listing things that could have hurt me?" Her voice was cold, it sent shivers down his spine – and not the good kind.

"I...I didn't exactly want to break up with you."

"No? Then why did you?"

"It was...a spur of the moment kinda thing."

Korra was speechless. She did not know what to say. "_Spur of the moment_?" She managed to stutter out. Then, her voice grew louder. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

She jumped onto her feet, her oceanblue eyes burning with a flame of pure rage. "You broke up with me, after six months of dating, after six months of telling me almost everyday that you _loved_ me, because of the _spur of the moment_?" She stared at Mako, her whole form shaking violently.

"And what about Asami? Was that the _spur of the moment_ as well? Was it so amazing to break the law to help her that you couldn't control yourself? Or where you sad because you didn't catch the criminal and, in consequence, didn't receive the promotion you wanted? So you kissed her to sooth your pain?"

"Yes. I kissed her to sooth the pain," he whispered and his head hung low. Korra stood there, rage still obvious in the way her body tensed but she was out of words to yell at him.

"These first days were...I missed you. I kept thinking that...these words could be the last things I said to you. Words that hurt you. I hurt you, you left and...you almost died. I did not know about that back then, but...my mother always told me to make things right before the sun sets." He was still whispering, as if he was scared to raise his voice against her.

Considering his words, Korra decided that he probably was scared of yelling at her. She sighed and sat back down. She felt exhausted. There were so many feelings swirling inside of her, she was ripped in two.

One side of her wanted to shred Mako to pieces, make him feel the pain he made her go through while her other side wanted to comfort him, throw her arms around him and breathe him in. She was caught between hate and love, she longed for him but seemed allergic to his presence.

Talking about presence, Korra felt someone standing near them, hiding behind a bush. She put her feet firmly on the ground and concentrated on this presence. There were two people, sitting on the ground just out of sight. Bolin and Asami. Great. The Avatar was tempted to send a gust of air at them to blow them away but decided against it. After all, if they heard the whole conversation, she did not have to tell them about it.

"Asami and I talked. Tried to make sense of your actions," Korra's voice was soft, as if she were speaking to herself. "We think that you've been very selfish. Saying one thing and doing the opposite. I mean, you told the President about my plan. I understand that you did it because you didn't want to lose your job. You worked hard to get it. But...I tried to get help for my tribe. I didn't want to lose anyone from the Southern Water Tribe. My parents are still there, Mako. There's a war raging on, my father and uncle in the middle of it all. My parents are in danger. I wanted to help them and you destroyed my only possibility. Because of your job," her voice grew more and more bitter with every word she spoke.

"And as soon as I'm gone you break the law, the very same law you were protecting, only to catch some criminal you didn't even know existed. You only suspected it. You broke the law to help Asami, to look better in Lin's eyes because you caught the bad guy. But you couldn't be silent in front of the President when he asked you if your girlfriend was about to do something he didn't approve of to save her parents. That's what's bugging me right now, Mako. I cried over our break up enough times already. And we were not dating anymore when you and Asami..._made up_. I'm not allowed to be angry at you for that. But I'm furious with you because of your hypocrisy."

"Korra, do you even realise what you just said?" Mako gave her an angry glare, but his voice was still low. He did not yell at her. He wanted to talk about everything, he wanted to clear things up and yelling at her would not work.

"You basically accused me of being a selfish prat that uses his friends to gain power and respect. I did _not _help Asami to get a promotion. That doesn't even make sense! Why would I get a promotion for breaking the law?" He turned towards her, expecting an answer. All she did was looking at her hands, thinking.

Mako spoke again, trying to explain himself. "Future Industries was crumbling in her hands and I wanted to help her keep the only thing she had left. I helped her because she needed _help_ and I needed _answers_. I knew that the bombings at the demo were only a plot to stoke the rage. I knew it, but _you_ wouldn't listen. Do you know how much easier it would have been to get the President to help you if you tried to see both sides?" Korra turned her face away from him.

"I hoped that I could bring some light into the whole story. Calm the people by explaining what was happening. That one of their own attacked ships and blew up the Cultural Center. War means need for weapons. Varrick has weapons to sell. He did all of that to rip the two Water Tribes further apart. I tried to get Varrick because I wanted to help you keeping your home safe. I told the President about your plan because I needed my job to help you. And because I knew that you were furious and not thinking clearly. Can you imagine what would have happened if the United Forces attacked the Northern Tribe? An all-out war would have started and the Water Tribes would hate each other for the following decades!" He was babbling now, trying to make her see that he was not, in fact, a selfish jerk who played with a girl's feelings just for fun. He needed her to understand. He needed her to accept his apology. He needed her.

Korra sat unmoving, silently mulling over his words. She knew that Mako grew more and more desperate. And she liked it. She felt bad for liking it, but...it still felt good. She couldn't lie about the truth of his words. Her father told her not to do any rash things. In fact, he'd been telling her that very same sentence her whole life. But she was a temperamental person, she couldn't help it.

"You were trying to help me?"

"Yes. I should have told you my plan. But...we were arguing all the time. I guess I didn't want to argue again. Ironically, we had the hugest fight because I tried not to make you angry with sharing my thoughts…" He laughed dryly.

"We're both jerks." Korra noted, a slight laugh in her voice.

"Me more than you, but I agree."

"What's the next phase of your plan?"

Mako sighed and leant back on the bench. "I have no idea. Asami and Bolin tried to find evidence to prove Varrick guilty, but there's nothing. Chief Beifong fired me, because she couldn't keep an officer who breaks the law now, could she?"

"We have to set a trap for Varrick."

"I'm all out of traps."

"Me too. I'm actually all out of anything...I'm exhausted. Too many feelings lately." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as a sad and drained look crossed her face.

Mako suddenly noticed the ancient age of Korra's soul. She was not only tired of the recent events. She was tired of watching the same thing happening over and over again, for thousands of years. He felt overwhelmed by the realisation that Korra was so much more than only a girl. She was the Avatar, she was an old soul reincarnated for the hundredth time, she'd lived through every kind of emotion there was. She helped bring peace after decades of war, she kept the balance of this world for _oh so long_. And she was tired of it. The Avatar was fed up with sacrifying herself only to be born again and see that the world did the same mistakes again. Was it only Korra or did every Avatar feel that way?

In an attempt to comfort her, he reached out to brush a strand of loose hair behind her ear but Korra flinched and stood up. "Only because I understand your...plan, doesn't mean I'm okay with all…_this_." In an attempt to clarify her words, she pointed at him and his still outstretched arm.

"So...what exactly are we?"

"We used to date. But not anymore and I'm not ready for a rebounce. Actually, I don't know if I even want to try again. And you shouldn't want to try either, because you have Asami, for Spirits' sake!"

"First of all, Asami basically broke up with me when she ran out after we read the letter. Secondly...Korra, I told you, I did not want to break up with you!" Mako stood as well, taking Korra's hands in his own and begging her to take him back with his golden eyes.

"But you did. Remember? Spur of the moment?" Even though her voice sounded slim and weak, Korra withdrew her hands from his and took several steps back. "Our whole relationship's been based on the _spur of the moment_ and I'd really like some stability in my life...I have enough spur of the moment as the Avatar, I don't need a boyfriend who just breaks up with me when I'm at my wits end with the whole world...I need someone who I can depend on."

Mako seemed to falter more with every word and Korra tried to stay calm and not start to cry. "You are not what I need right now, Mako. I will help you against Varrick, but that's all there is at the moment." He nodded, looking rather defeated.

"Can I still come here with Bolin and Asami? To train and stuff?"

"Of course, if you want to." He smiled at that and Korra suddenly felt uneasy as she noticed the tiny spark of hope in his eyes. Mako only smiled a little wider and turned on his heels. "Bye Korra. See you tomorrow."

He walked away, looking confident, as if Korra did not just turn him down. Somehow, this made Korra's stomach clench painfully. He didn't even care that she did not want him back...

"Don't worry. He hates that you didn't throw your arms around him immediately. He thinks he can get you back. That's why he's so…_positive_." Bolin's voice from her right side startled her out of her inside-tantrum. "He thinks he can get you back..." He whispered and something in the way he spoke irritated Korra, but her dwellings were interrupted by Asami, who showed up on her other side and snorted, rather unladylike.

"Yup. He's good in getting girls back." Bolin sent her a glare, she smiled sweetly back at him and then linked arms with Korra. "Come on guys! I'm still hungry. The whole tension did not help me eat."

Korra sent her a teasing look. "Who are you? Bolin?"

The earthbender protested at that, but silenced himself when Korra linked her arms into his and pulled him along with her and Asami. He could worry about Mako and Korra getting back together when he was alone. Right now, he had to relish in the fact that Korra was walking alongside him – not Mako.

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**Anyone got the reference? :)**

**As always, tell me what you think!**


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